R.O.T.C. TV Season 2 Episode 1

R.O.T.C. TV Season 2 Episode 1 is here!! Orchestrated by Return of the Cypher Director Unlearn the World and Boogie the Man, the debut episode for the new season accurately captures what our R.O.T.C. world has become. We will have ongoing episodes getting produced, so please stay tuned!! Photo credit: Sarah Arnold Photography

If you don’t know by now.. R.O.T.C. facilitates top-tier, organic cyphers powered by our in-house Get Down Band and songstress Jenna Medina. It goes down every Sunday evening at the Boom Boom Room in the historic Fillmore District of San Francisco. These cyphers are open to the public, and all MC’s, lyricists, rappers, vocalists, etc., are welcome to participate.. as long as they read our rules, acknowledge them, and receive a wristband. Our event also features a traditional dance party segment overseen by R.O.T.C. Commander DJ Kevvy Kev and a special weekly guest performer!!

R.O.T.C. Official Newsletter

I have started the Official R.O.T.C. Newsletter!! If you don’t know by now, Return of the Cypher is where Hip Hop culture resides in the SF Bay Area!! Every Sunday evening at the historic Boom Boom Room in the Fillmore District of San Francisco, we facilitate an organic, top-tier cypher, backed by our in-house live band. The event celebrated its 5 years anniversary this past summer, and the movement is showing no signs of slowing down.. please come through!! Please sign-up here!!

 

12/06/15 ROTC x HH4C 2nd Annual Toy Drive Hosted by Pep Love

On December 6th, 2015, Return of the Cypher will be teaming up with Hip Hop for Change to bring you our 2nd annual toy drive. For those of us unfamiliar with the above terms, ROTC is a weekly Hip Hop open-mic which occurs every Sunday evening at the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco; it has arguably become SF Bay Area’s most successful regular Hip Hop event, and is frequented by local legends, a platoon of hungry MC’s from literally around the world, and weekly featured performers. HH4C is a NGO dedicated to battling socioeconomic disparities, police brutality, and cancerous corporate rap, through educational outreaches, grassroots canvassing, and local Hip Hop showcases.

Our 2nd Annual Toy Drive will be hosted by Pep Love from the legendary Hieroglyphics crew, feature a ROTC x HH4C mini-showcase, and also the December ’15 ROTC MVP competition. All collected toys will be donated to City Team, which will then distribute the gifts to youth living in impoverished conditions.

fly

12/07/15 Update: The Toy Drive a tremendous success!! We got everything from Spiderman drums to remote controlled puppies to mini jengas!! Thank you for participating!! We made an actual difference!!

Toys

ROTC 2 Year Anniversary

Return of the Cypher will be celebrating it’s 2 year anniversary on 06/14/15. If you don’t know by now, ROTC is the livest weekly Hip Hop party in the Bay Area; a free open-mic jam session with a resident band, weekly featured performers, and the legendary DJ Kevvy Kev. It goes down every Sunday night at the SF Boom Boom Room. Point blank, it’s your home if you were raised by this culture. We will have 15+ performers on the 2 year anniversary and my crew 2FS will be the hosts. See you there. Oh, and the Black Film Festival will be premiering a Mac Dre Documentary called “Legend in the Bay” prior to our celebration.. and that’s free too..

ROTC 2 year anniversary

ROTC TV Episodes #6-10

Orukusaki and Tefari at Filmatic Productions are continuing the weekly ROTC TV webisodes; every week, the episodes will capture the featured performers, patrons dancing to Kev’s set, MC’s, the Gemstone Band, and the overall vibe of ROTC. Khali at aFilmNoob shot and edited episodes 6.

 

ROTC TV: Episode 6- Return of the Beat Boxer

ROTC TV: Episode 7- Jern Eye

ROTC TV: Episode 8- Brycon x Luke Sick

ROTC TV: Episode 9- Mack Deezoe

ROTC TV: Episode 10- Boom Bap Sessions

ROTC TV Episodes #1-5

Return of the Cypher now has an official weekly webisode series thanks to my brother Orukusaki and Tefari Casas from Filmatic Productions. Each ROTC TV episode will feature cyphers on and off the stage, the Gem Stone Band, DJ Kevvy Kev rocking the dance floor, featured performers, and patron interviews. Oruk will be the regular anchor, but I’ll cover for him when he’s out on assignments. Here are the first five episodes, enjoy.. Just always remember, ROTC is every Sunday evening at the Boom Boom Room in SF, and it’s always free and never will be canceled. All episodes shot by Tef @Filmatic Productions, except episode 5 shot and edited by Khali at aFilmNoob.

ROTC TV: Episode 5- the Introduction

ROTC TV: Episode 4- Rahman Jahmaal “Street Poetry” Release Party

ROTC TV: Episode 3- Watzreal Album Release Party

ROTC TV: Episode 2- Boom Bap Sessions feat. Joe Mousepad

ROTC TV: Episode 1- January MVP Competition

510 Japanda Thug Wins ROTC Halloween MC Battle

My alter ego 510 Japanda Thug won the ROTC Halloween MC Battle; all contestants had to battle as their characters and Japanda faced very worthy opponents. Captain Ruksok hosted, Z-Man from the Hiero Imperium helped with the judging, and DJ Kevvy Kev held down the decks.

Preliminary Cypher

Round 1: 510 Japanda Thug vs. Anonymous

Round 2: 510 Japanda Thug vs. Spready Kruger

Final Round: 510 Japanda Thug vs. Slender Woman

On some real shit, I thought that the final round could’ve gone either way.. so I decided to split the prize money with Slender Woman… who is actually the alter ego of Babii Cris. A lyrical prodigy who is barely 21.. her self-produced, self-engineered album is dropping 01/03/15.

Halloween Battle

 

ROTC- Every Sunday Night @ the Boom Boom Room

ROTC (Return of the Cypher) is a freestyle jam session which occurs every Sunday night @ the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco. The Gem Stone band provides live instrumentation and veteran DJ Kevvy Kev holds down the ones and twos. Special featured guests rock almost every week. Myself, Orukusaki, Slice 9, and MC Mars usually alternate as hosts. All MC’s and vocalists are encouraged to attend and participate in the cyphers, which probably takes up more than 2 and a half hours of each Sunday night. Oh, and it’s absolutely free!

If you are an emcee, you have to be willing to freestyle… period… it’s just part of the craft. And this is the perfect boot camp/ church/ gym/ whatever you want it to be!

ROTC New

Infinite “Double Beatdown” Video

Infinite is a seasoned veteran of the Bay Area Hip Hop scene; when I was finishing up my undergraduate degree at SFSU in the early 2000’s, him and Wonway were widely recognized for being unfuckwitable in the local battle/ open-mic circuit. The “Double Beatdown” concept refers to his dual mastery of MCing and beatboxing. It was shot at the Return of the Cypher event at the Boom Boom Room, and features a brief cameo of basically everyone,  including your truly.

Doin’ It in the Park @Delores Park 10/11

Our ROTC comrade Denero will be celebrating his birthday with a traditional Hip Hop party in the park! Please mark your calendars; 10/11 at Delores Park, BYOB, BBQ grills, and an extraordinary showcase featuring 2FS, Rick Stevens from the Tower of Power, DJ Kevvy Kev, and many more of our ROTC family members.

Denero Party